The Cartographers’ Guild is a forum created by and for map makers and aficionados, a place where every aspect of cartography can be admired, examined, learned, and discussed. Our membership consists of professional designers and artists, hobbyists, and amateurs—all are welcome to join and participate in the quest for cartographic skill and knowledge.

Although we specialize in maps of fictional realms, as commonly used in both novels and games (both tabletop and role-playing), many Guild members are also proficient in historical and contemporary maps. Likewise, we specialize in computer-assisted cartography (such as with GIMP, Adobe apps, Campaign Cartographer, Dundjinni, etc.), although many members here also have interest in maps drafted by hand.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ. You will have to register before you can post or view full size images in the forums.

Hybrid View

Map an Aquatic Civilization

We have loads and loads of maps here on the cartographer's guild, and almost none of them feature any sort of sub-ocean terrain! My proposal is to map an aquatic civilization that lives exclusively on an ocean floor - so rather than mountains and rivers, we would be mapping things like mid-ocean ridges and trenches

That sounds pretty cool. You don't see much done with this at all. There was one really nice shipwreck map (maybe Torstan?) and I've seen one of Mike Schley's FR maps that noted some undersea features. Can't think of much else.
M

Ryan, I treated it as space combat because it was individuals doing battle so they could move in a sphere of directions very easily. When I think of submarine warfare I tend to think of much slower combatants. But that is a good comparison.

BOB

We do not stop playing because we grow old.
We grow old because we stop playing.

I see your point, but unless there is some treknological reason for it not being so, underwater combat is highly restricted by hydrodynamics, water-pressure, crush-depths, cavitation et cetera and of course, gravity. Depending on bouyancy or water displacement, things still tend to want to go down.

Space combat is unincumbered by any aerodynamic considerations (unless it's one of them fancy conventional take-off SSTO space combat vessels), and is similarly free for combatants to engage each other at any vector, from any direction and at rib-crushing speeds. Unless there is a gravity well nearby, if you send something in a particular direction, it's going to keep going in that direction.

The differences in concept between submarine and space combat are as wide and varied as comparing tank warfare to carrier warfare. Space combat is it's own unique beast.

Torstan did a map like this for a 3rd party developer (Sunken Empires?). Unfortunately the supplement wasn't filled with maps like this like I was hoping for, which was a bit of a shame so I would love more maps like this. Never know when you might want something like this.